11.19.2008

Schedule update

"(Fannin) made two very good plays, but I think those oth­er guys could have done the same thing being in that situa­tion," Tuberville said. "There's not a lot of difference in any of those guys."

I have no idea why he said that or even what that means.

WHAT TO EXPECT: I had footagis interruptus yesterday. Internet went down at Auburn, so I stopped pulling video footage from my camera because I knew it wouldn't be uploaded. I'll be building a video around 1 p.m.

The Auburn men play Mercer at 7 p.m. I'll be there. I'll blog the basics unless there is widespread demand for more involved coverage. You know I'm a sucker for HOTTIE requests.

I hope to get the Official HABOTN T-Shirt Order Form on the site today.

I'll also remind our Facebook friends that, in almost every case, Kristina and I will not permit access into the HABOTN group unless you have a handle. It's a closed group. We love the lurker HOTTIES (there are hundreds of you), but being a lurker and joining the Facebook group are mutually exclusive. Them's the facts.

113 Comments:

That Fannin comment just makes me angry. I hope he doesn't really believe that. I mean, I know fans are morons, but people have been calling for Kodi Burns since August and Fannin since last year. Maybe Tuberville just doesn't want to look like he has been making bad decisions.

And before this even starts up again, I love Ben Tate, you love Ben Tate, we all love Ben Tate.

I guess Fannin is like Slaughter(a role player.) I mean, are these comments supposed to fire up the players or what? An offense that struggles mightily, and when someone makes big plays he seems to blow them off. I just don't understand why.

I think the comments are supposed to explain why the players weren't getting the ball more to begin with. They are not good players, they are just lucky to have a good game, thus the coaches were never wrong not to get them the ball. It's about covering your bases.

I wonder if TT is scared of letting any recruits know we have some good players already here. I would like to think that's his motivation considering his comments about recruits seeing there's playing time available. I'd like to think that but I'm afraid it's just more inane babbling.

Those comments make me think he is clueless. It seems that he is trying not to play favorites to not hurt anyone feelings. Fannin right now is making plays. If we can stop running tate lateral he may be able to make them also and Lester would have to play to make plays. (have yet to figure why he is not playing) It just sounds like he has no clue who is playing and what they are doing.

I am an unashamed CTT supporter and typically like his zen-like comments. But even I dont know what to think about that one. Perhaps he is trying to keep moral high for the other RBs? Maybe since Lester is a Senior, he's doing a little NFL promoting? Maybe it's a bait and switch for Alabama so they have to plan as hard for all RBs? Who knows...all I do know is that CTT aint crazy and he knows that Fannin is the real deal (if he learns to block).

I love Coach Tuberville. I really do. He's a class guy, from what I know about him. But I've given up trying to figure out either WHAT he means or WHY he says what he says. Sometimes, it's better just to smile and nod...

When monica said smiling and nodding, all I could think of was the one of those male enhancement commercials I always hear on the radio. I don't remember which one, but there's a line that say "every woman out there listening is either nodding their head or smiling." Call me old fashioned, but those commercials are a but graphic for radio or tv, in my opinion. When did it become okay to publicly talk about that kind of thing, or at least in mixed company? I was okay not knowing that my dad's generation was quietly living their lives in shame.

"Lurker HOTTIES," what do they look like? Tubs comments always confuse the heck out of me. Tubs is like a politician, he's lying if his lips are moving. I love the guy too, but can't quit wondering if his time at AU has come to a close. I'd hate for us to be in this same position two years from now. I have a strange feeling that we'll be stuck in this current state of mediocrity unless some major change are made. I hope I'm wrong, but my wife even says that my intuition is usually right. Yes, that's right, my wife admits that I'm right...sometimes.

Could you include a fashion critique or idea of what hip outfits Jeff Lebo and the opposing coach are wearing tonight. That would add some interest, at least for me, to see how snazzily dressed the coaches are. I envision the beginning of something very big happening when you start this. It will be sort of like Todd Blackledge's Taste of the Town.

1. I miss Cliff's orange vest. 2. I miss Sonny's sayings like, "He couldn't play dead in a cowboy movie."3. I think of things like this to stop from flinging myself in front of a bus after Tommy talks about our running backs.4. My post will take it off "28" which equals the number of UK turnovers last night. 5. Strike No. 4.6. The Emporer has no ear muffs.

Tuberville has baffled me once again. I was baffled during the game when Lester never saw the field except for special teams play. I was baffled after the game when it was said by him that there was no concrete reason why Lester didn't play. They just decided not to use him. NOW all three of them are equal in talent? We're going to diminish what Fannin did by stating to the press that all 3 of them are capable of that? Are we now stroking fragile psyches in the RB corps? My head's going to explode in 3...2...

I usually don't keep up with the basketball teams much, but my fraternity brother does and claims that we have a great shot at playoffs this year for the men and women. What is your take on thier chances?

I really don't understand CTT's remarks at press conferences. It is like he is in on some private joke that no one is aware of except him. Sometimes I wonder if he is talking in code like in the movie "The Longest Day." When all resistance fighters are sitting around and the BBC announcer says things like "John has a long moustache" or "Wounds my heart with dolorous languour," and it means something to those in on the code. Hey, wait a minute, CTT is really working for the CIA in fighting Al Qaeda worldwide and his press conferences are actually messages out there for our hidden operatives. Therefore, since he is helping fight terrorists during his press conferences, he is defending The United States of America. And if you start attacking him, you are attacking the United States of America, and I am not going to sit here and listen to you all talk bad about the United States of America.(cue The Battle Hymn of the Republic)

Let's see...$aban will tell you it's none of your business or that you are stoopid for asking.

CTT seems to avoid a direct answer and probably assumes that the fans are intelligent enough to know that he is doing so on purpose.....based on the "heads exploding" on this blog....CTT may have misjudged the fans on this blog. If I were in that repeating situation, I would probably be more obtuse(Zen) than CTT

I'm in construction/development. Stuff changes hourly. What was true an hour ago may not be the case now. If I need to explain technical changes, I can provide exhaustive explanations for why the "truth changed". I don't normally do it b/c folks in my business understand the business. Changes involving people/politics are much tuffer to get to the truth and quickly formed, direct, declarative statements attempting to explain those type changes usually can be challenged by anyone with cynical intent.

A CFB HC is managing a "team" that is comprised of student athletes. You can bet that the "truth" changes constantly and that specific answers would many times cause player embarassment. "Brad Lester had a hemmoriod flairup and the ointment just didn't work, so we only played him on special teams." Bet that would give the habitually negative, haters a whole new angle to attack the coach about. I guess direct answers would reduce some of the paranoia and subsequent gray matter cleanup costs.

About a month ago I made a similar comment that Hoopie just made about non-bloggers not caring about how Tubs doesn't make sense. He avoids questions so that his answers don't get picked up by mainstream media and most fans. Nothing to see here, move along kind of stuff.

However, I don't understand why he has to downplay a good game by a wide receiver or a running back by saying they aren't anything special, anyone on the team could have done it. I don't see anything gained by it. So what if he admitted that Mario is a playmaker and we were glad we got him the ball. Does that hurt someone else on the team's feelings? Will a statement like that make alabama all of a sudden know that Mario is good and they need to key on him? Or worse: does he actually believe it?

Also, could someone please put together a "Tuberville's 2008 Greatest Hits" from this year. Seems like every week, he says something that doesn't make sense that we all discuss, and about every three weeks he says something that makes people throw themselves in front of a bus in frustration.

For the record...I can confirm that Mario Fannin still exists. I saw him in town the other day. I congratulated him on a good game and asked him where he was there at the end...asked if he got banged up or something. He just shook his head and looked down. I asked why he was out of the game and he replied that he didn't know. I would love to know the real story behind that one. Jay, have you heard any rumors about coaches taking him out for disciplinary reasons?

Honestly, I don't have a big problem with him not being in at the end of the game. What would have happened differently? It's not like in a hurry up passing offense, Fannin is so far superior to Tate that the coaches must be insane not to have him in there.

The bigger question for me is why has Fannin not been getting more touches the last few weeks during the main portion of the game. There are various answers such as having the hurt shoulder early on and running the wrong way on one play this season, but I think he should have been getting the ball a lot more the last few weeks.

Tubs has been complaining for a year that we need playmakers... We finally have someone step up and make plays and then Tubs makes the asinine comment that "any one of those guys could've done that". Well guess what... they didn't. Fannis DID! Give him the damn ball!

Michael I seem to remember Fannin running the wrong way on a 3rd a goal play a few games ago. Not to mention that intentional grounding call against UGA was in part due to Fannin getting pushed into Burns lap. As exciting as he is with the ball, his mistakes have the potential to be just as big a game changer.

aubigcat, we have shown much more forgiveness to offensive lineman and quarterbacks and receivers who make stupid plays, and most of them don't have the capability to be game changers like Fannin. When you have been as bad as we have been on offense, you take the good with the bad at this point.

And I understand what Hoopie is saying. In Tuberville's view, he doesn't worry too much about the 5% (and that is probably high considering how many Auburn fans there must be and how much involvement is in these message board/blogs). Almost none of my friends from college check blogs and know the stupid things that Tubby says. I don't want to knock what we do, I enjoy the blog following, but let's not get too self important. It's not like the head coach has to cater to us just yet. Maybe one day, but not yet.

If true, which I doubt, Auburn was unbelievably stupid to not change their signals. Should have changed them the moment TF left. If this is coming from some reputable source, it says a lot about the Auburn coaching situation.

Well word is the UT Martin coach told CTT after the game that they were given the signals, and Richt called CTT game week and told him that he needed to change his signals. If this is true, CTF is the worst decision AU football has ever made

While watching the UGA-AU game a friend asked me why Mario wasn't in during the next to last drive. My answer was: "I'm not on the team and in the huddle, so there is a lot of info that I can't be privy to, BUT it seems to me that Tate is a much better pass blocker and doesn't blow assignments as much as Fannin."

AU fans always love the guy that is on the bench. Fans screamed that BCox was the best QB on the bench in 2003...and the fans gnashed teeth asking for him. Yet, fans screamed for Kodi last season when he absolutely didn't know the offense...and is only now even starting to look like a D1 Qb. Fans screamed that BLester was a superstar in the making 2 years ago, now they want Fannin. I've stated that the 3 RBs are different but equal. Fannin has the most upside potential when he finally learns the position, but he is just now running like a Rb. Earlier this season, he ran into a goal line defense while running straightup. He is just now learning to lean forward with power.

Like all of the fans on blogs, I am not qualified to make these statements. These are coach/team issues and I would be upset if the coach answered these type questions directly. Many other AU fans would also. The neurotic "need to know" is only held by the internet crowd that for some reason thinks they know more than coaches and that they deserve answers. The quiet AU fans are some of the most knowledgeble and realize that this stuff should't be discussed. Pretend it is 1964. How would Bear or Shug respond?

Anger over the comments? What did he do to you personally while he was protecting the "team"?

I don't understand Tubberville's thinking about Fannin. He is the most under utilized player I have every scene.I know he is no Bo Jackson,but it would be like not giving Bo the ball. I say let's clean house and start over. What have you got to lose ?

hoopie, I would like to have faith that Tubs knows more than the average fan, but it took him about half a season to realize what the average fan knew about Kodi Burns, and it took him until last week to realize what the average fan knew about Mario Fannin, so excuse me if my faith in his ability to spot the talent that needs to be on the field is at an all time low right now.

I also thought he made a bad decision in bringing Kodi in last year when in my opinion Brandon Cox wasn't the problem. Of course, the average fan was on his side that time. Maybe no one knows anything.

That signals story sounds a little too "inside" to be real. How many people would be aware of both the utm and the Richt phone call? How much easier would it be for someone to make an email up and just send it out? Unless the source is Brad "The Inside Man" Lester, I don't think I am buying this.

Why is everyone acting like tuberville went up in the crowd slapped mario fannin's mom and told fannin to sit the bench the last two drives?

Tuberville probably didn't have anything to do with it. It was probably eddie gran's decision to put tate in. It's not like before the offensive drives Tubs whipped out his lineup card and said "I want tate at tailback, Big snacks at RG, Rod Smith and Billings at WR and etc." And if anyone were to rewatch the game tate had two nice blitz pickups toward the end.

A better question is why in the hell were we throwing so many fade routes especially to rod smith. Rod smith is decent, but not a fade route kinda guy.

Hurts to get in the red zone and throw an interception, miss a field goal, lose a fumble, turn it over on downs because we can't count on an easy 3, false start multiple times to push us out of even field goal range, try a fade route 4 times in a row....need I go on?

The people who know football picked AU to win the West with two new coordinators and an unproven QB. That is how much respect the football world gives CTT and the AU program. Even though it didnt work out, I cant imagine another program with that many variables getting that kind of respect. The people who's job it is to know football understand how good CTT and this AU program are, even when the actually team is not that good.

As far Mario, my problem is that he wasn't on the field with 8 minutes to go on the ill-fated field goal-no, let's call a timeout-no let's throw a fade into the end zone on fourth and short possession.

It wasn't desperation, hurry up time. It was game-on-the-line crunch time when you need your playmakers on the field.

During the UT Martin game I pointed out to my group that when our lineman stood up in the meerkat stance and looked to the sideline, the UT Martin defense looked to OUR sideline. When the play was called, our guys nodded their heads and lined up. Their guys nodded their heads and lined up. No telling how many games that has been going on.

And I don't doubt that it's possible other teams learned our signals. I do doubt that Tuberville had heart to hearts with two separate coaches and this information somehow made it into a well distributed email.

Maybe Franklin gave the other teams all our plays before the season began. That would make the most sense.

I like to follow Auburn basketball. I think it goes back to my days in the Bluegrass. I lived in Kentucky 5 years, and went to a grand total of 3 bb games. Didn't have access to tickets. Didn't know anybody who was willing to part with theirs. Now, I love the fact that I can drive 2 1/2 hours and get tickets to any Auburn bb game I want. THAT is NICE...

Sorry, JG. I got a little excited when you said you might have the form up today. Michael, as a hardcore fan of Ric Flair and the 4 Horsmen, I absolutely hate the fact that that guy ever picked that for his stage name!